Animal-poke.



No. 704.924. Patented-July |5, `f902.

s.y A. mTcmE. ANIMAL Poke. (Applicatiozpfled Mar. 22, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

SILAS A. RITCHIE, OF NORTH MIDDLETOWN, KENTUCKY.

ANIMAL-POKE.

SPEGIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No, 704,924, dated July 15, 1902.

Application filed March 22, 1992. Serial No. 99,442. (No model.) i i l To all whom, it may concern.:

Beitknown that LSILAS A. RITCHIE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Middletown, in the county ofBourbon and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Animal-Poke, ofY which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in pokes for animals, particularly horses; and the object is to provide a poke with a simple means for locking the yoke members around an animals'neck, the lock being so arranged that it cannot be accidentally released by the' animal rubbing it against a fence or tree, but may be readily unlocked when it is desired to removethe yoke.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the general description. Y

I will describe an animal-poke embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the igures.

Figure l is a section on the line xtc of Fig. 2 of an animal-poke embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the poke. Fig. 3 is a section clearlyshowing the locking device, and Fig. 4 is a detail Vview showing the hinge connection of the yoke members.

The yoke comprises two members 1 2,which are connected together at the top by ahinge 3. Arranged on the inner side of the yoke at the joint is a metal plate 4, which is curved to conform to the shape of the upper portion of the yoke when closed, and one end of this plate is secured to one member of the yoke and free from the other member. is designed to prevent the catching of a y horses mane in the joint when closing the This plate shaft and at the other end against a collaron the push-rod. Extended in opposite directions or from opposite sides of the shaft 7 are spring-ngers ll 12, which may be conveniently made of a single plate of metal, having an opening through which the shaft 7 may pass, and it is held from longitudinal movenient on the shaft in one direction by the fianged end 13 of the shaft and in the other direction by a pin 14. The flange 13 maybe turned up after placing the spring on the shaft. The ends of the fingers are connectved by a cord or wire 15, which passes through openings in the wall of the shaft 7 and through an opening in the push-rod 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. When the lingers 1l l2 are expanded, they will engage against the outer side of the yoke member 2, and as the spread is considerably greater than the length of the opening 6 the shaft' cannot be accidentally drawn throughthe opening. Should it be desired to release the yoke to remove it from a horses neck, the push-rod 9 is to be forced inward, which will bring the'sp'ring-fingers ligand l2 toward each other, permitting them to pass readily through the opening 6. In placing the yoke on the animals neck it is only necessary to pass the end of the shaft 7 through the opening, and the walls of the opening 6 ywill force the spring-fingers together, and theywill again spring outward upon reaching the outer side of the opening. YMounted to swing on the shaft 7 between the poke members is a poke-stick 16, having a cross-head 17` at its upper end designed to engage against the rear side ofY the poke members. Y

Pricking devices are employed to puncture the horses neck or breast slightly should he rubthe poke or force the poke-stick against a fence or the like. These pricking devices consist of wires 1S and 19, having swinging connection on the shaft 7, and the upper portions of these wires are looped to engage against the rear side of lthe yoke and are then crossed and turned rearward toformpoints 20, which pass through openings in the crosshead 17.

The operation of the device is quite obvious from the'above desc1iption-that is, should a horse attempt to jump a fence or the like the poke-stick by engaging therewith will vpre- IOO gether, and a poke-stick mounted to swing on the shaft, substantially as specified.

2. An animal-poke comprising a yoke consisting of two hinged members, said members being provided with openings at the lower end, a tubular shaft for extending through said openings, a push-rod movable in said shaft, a spring in the shaft for holding the push-rod normally outward, spring-lingers on opposite sides of the shaft for engaging against the outer side of a mem ber of the yoke, a connection between the ends' of said spring-lingers, the said connection passing through openings in the shaft and through an opening in the push-rod, and a poke-stick mounted to swing on the shaft, substantially as specied.

3. An animal-poke comprising a yoke oonsisting of two hinged sections, the sections being provided at the lower ends with openings, a locking-shaft extended through said openings, a poke-stick mounted to swing on the shaft, wires mounted to swing on the shaft at opposite sides of the poke-stick, the upper ends of said wires being crossed and having rearwardly-extended pointed portions, and a cross-head on the upper end of the poke-stick and having openings to receive said rearwardly-extended portions, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SILAS A. RITCHIE.

'XVitnessesz WM. GRANNAN, CLAUDE M. THOMAS. 

